Anchorage: Anti-fluoride crowd demands Assembly’s ear

Since October of 2010, Jason Agre, who lives near Valley of the Moon Park, has been urging Anchorage’s elected officials to stop adding fluoride to his drinking water. Agre is part of a global movement of people objecting to fluoridated water. It’s admittedly a movement that’s been marginalized, but it’s also growing despite consistent pro-fluoridation campaigns by health authorities.

… But in recent years activists such as Agre have gained a foothold in Alaska by repeating a message that doesn’t require anyone—politician or voter—to learn chemistry or understand scientific studies. That message relies on ethical questions about fluoridation and on bedrock libertarian values common among Americans, particularly in the red-state West. Is it really okay to put medicine in the water?

“We don’t want to be medicated by politicians and we don’t give our consent to this medication,” Agre said, “and basically, we come from all walks of life.”…